Psalms 56

In an hour of deep despair and doubt, David left Judah and fled to Gath, the Philistine city identified with the giant Goliath whom David had slain (1 Sam. 17). David was alone and didn’t get a very good reception. (The second time he went to Gath, he was accompanied by his men and was accepted. (See 1 Sam. 27—30.) This psalm reveals that his life was in great danger, and history tells us that he had to pretend to be insane in order to escape (1 Sam. 21:10—22:1). Psalm 34 also came out of this experience in Gath. The musical inscription is translated variously: “the silent dove among those far away,” “the silent dove among the strangers,” “the dove on the distant oaks (or terebinths).” Some connect this inscription with 55:6–8 and see David as the dove (innocence), silent under attack while far from home. In the midst of peril and fear (vv. 3, 4, 11), David lifted three requests to the Lord, and the Lord answered.

“All day long” David was harassed by the Philistines, who remembered that Israel sang his praises as a great military leader. They pursued him like hungry panting animals, and David cried out for mercy (see 51:1; 57:1). The record in 1 Samuel doesn’t record any physical attacks on David, but he heard a great deal of slander and his life was in danger. David manifested both fear and faith as he cried out to God (Matt. 8:26; 14:30; Mark 5:6). The refrain in verses 3–4 is repeated in verses 10–11 as David affirms that God alone gives him the power to praise Him and trust Him. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10: nkjv). Faith and praise cannot be “manufactured”; they must be received as God’s gift. “Mortal man” is “mere man, man who is flesh.” This phrase is quoted in 118: and Hebrews 13:6. What Scripture says about fallen human nature is negative (John 6:63; Rom. 7:18; Phil. 3:3).

David had to watch his step in Gath, not only in what he did but also what he said, because he was a man under suspicion and was being watched. He had a target on his back and only the Lord could protect him. David chose Gath because he thought it was the last place Saul would expect to find him, but when he made that choice, he was walking by sight and not by faith. Faith is living without scheming. David prayed that God would judge Israel’s enemies.

In verses 8–9, David reminded the Lord of the sufferings he had endured in exile, and then suggested that these sufferings qualified him to have his prayers answered and his enemies defeated. That would assure David that God is behind his cause (Rom. 8:31–39). God knew about David’s wanderings and numbered them (121:8), and He had preserved his tears as well (see 2 Kings 20:1–6). God listed his tears on His scroll (v. 8 niv), or put them in His bottle or wineskin (kjv, nasb). Archaeologists have unearthed small “tear bottles” in which mourners collected their tears and then deposited the bottle at the gravesite. The point is simply that God is aware of what we feel and how we suffer, and His records are accurate (69:28; 87:6; 130:3; 139:16; Ex. 32:32; Neh. 13:14; Ezek. 13:9; Dan. 7:10; Mal. 3:16; Rev. 20:12; 21:27). David repeated the refrain in verses 10–11, but he used the covenant name “Jehovah” this time.

David’s greatest desire was to glorify the Lord, and this is why he wrote this psalm. He had vowed to serve the Lord, and he meant to keep his vow. He had also vowed to present thank offerings to the Lord when his days of wandering were ended. Part of the thank offering was retained by the worshipper so he could enjoy a fellowship meal with his family and friends, and David looked forward to that blessing.

According to verse 13, God answered David’s prayers. He delivered him from death; He kept him from stumbling; and He enabled him to walk in a godly way and praise the Lord. “Light of the living” can also be translated “light of life,” as the phrase used by Jesus in John 8:12. As we follow the Lord Jesus today, we enjoy fullness of life and the glorious light of His presence. We walk in the light.